By Daily Mail Reporter


-Families and schoolchildren urged to stay indoors
-Hefty trio were eventually gunned down by police

Bull-dozer: Three bulls made a dash for it moments before getting the chop, but they were gunned down by police instead


Three bulls on death row escaped from an abattoir and ran amok on a housing estate.

Residents were left open mouthed as the bulls, affectionately known in the cowshed as Rio, Steve and Chuck, made their bid for freedom and charged up and down streets in Great Notley, near Braintree in Essex.

Frightened parents taking their children to school dialled 999 as the hefty trio of 142 stone beasts rampaged past their front doors.

You go left and I'll go right: Bakers Lane, in Row Green near Braintree where the three 142 stone bulls escaped from before being shot by police


People were warned to stay indoors, including schoolchildren at nearby Notley Green Primary School, and police marksmen were called in about 8.40am.
All three bulls were killed and their bodies recovered by noon.

Two were killed in Queenborough Lane on the White Court Housing estate in Great Notley, whilst a third bull took off in the opposite direction, and was gunned down in Mary Ruck Way in Black Notley.

Maria Luisa, 41, said: 'It was very scary because I did not know what was happening and they said 'don't go outside because it is dangerous'.

'I heard gunshots and I thought there must have been a murderer on the loose or something.'

One abattoir worker was gored and police said they had option other than shooting the bulls.

The incident bore similarities to the Spanish tradition of bull running in Pamplona, Spain where people run in front of an angry herd of bulls during the seven day festival of San Fermines.

No one from the abbatoir, Martin W and Sons in Black Notley, was available to comment.

Bloodbath: A 'mozo,' or runner, is gored by a bull during a bull run in Pamplona, Spain. Fortunately no members of the public were injured in Essex

A load of old bull: A runner is tossed by a fighting heifer in Pamplona, Spain. In Essex police marksmen were called in and all three bulls were shot and killed


Duck! A fighting bull leaps over revellers during festivities in the bullring in Pamplona. In Essex one abattoir worker was injured when the hefty trio escaped


Chief Inspector Nick Lee said: 'One of the bulls had already gored a member of staff at the company and my concern was they were on a large estate having already injured one individual.

'They were running up and down the estate, at which point I decided they posed too much risk to public safety and instructed firearms officers to shoot them.'

The bulls made their bid for freedom as workers from a transport company tried to transfer them from one container to another.

Police initially thought they would be able to capture them alive but soon realised they were in no mood to give themselves up.

Chief Inspector Lee said: 'We initially found them and contained them but as we were trying to resolve the issue it became apparent very quickly that they were in a very agitated state and presented a significant risk to the public.

'We explored all options as to how we could safely get the animals back to the lorry.'



source:dailymail